


Persona 2012

by Randomshmuck



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alcohol and Drugs, Choose Your Own Adventure Story, Crapsack World, Fluff, Lots of Angst, Multi, Original Character(s), Persona 3 Spoilers, Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Spoilers, Persona 4 Spoilers, Profanity, Protagonist is a 20 year old, Protagonist's personality can change throughout the story, Takes place after Persona 4 Ultimax Arena, possible major character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2020-09-06 01:16:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20282992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Randomshmuck/pseuds/Randomshmuck
Summary: Aijin Shounin was just another guy trying to make it through the next day. Working at a dead end job where his co-workers don't respect him, customers are always yelling at him, and his boss would blame Aijin for anything gone wrong in the job. In the end of the day, he would walk to a liquor store to buy some alcohol and walk back home. He would drink himself to sleep and hope for a better tomorrow. It was a hopeless cycle that would continue until the day he dies or until he kills himself. But something strange happened one day. An eclipse is somehow linked to many strange occurrences throughout Tatsumi Port Island. Factions are slowly being formed, shadows attacking people, strangers possessing supernatural abilities, and much more. And yet the strangest thing about it all is Aijin of all people got the attention of a secret organization who are hoping to recruit him. They may have the answers to the strange mysteries lurking in the island. How the story unfolds is up to the reader. Will Aijin become a profiting mercenary? A ruthless monster? Will he become an anarchist refusing to bow down to society? Will he be a man bound only to the law? Or will he become the very thing he least expected; a hero?





	Persona 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your choices and actions will determine how the story will begin and end. There will be consequences for your actions. There are mechanics I added to make the story interesting. There will be a reputation system for where you side with/against a particular faction, you would gain fame/infamy. For example, if you helped the National Agency Police then you will increase your reputation with them. However, you would gain infamy with the opposing faction[s]. There is a "Social Link" mechanic however since the protagonist does not have the wild card ability he would be rewarded with items/abilities by certain characters. For example, a Stranger might give the protagonist a artifact after seeing the Stranger many times. Now there is the issue with the possible chance the protagonist could permanently die. For example, the unarmed protagonist tries to fight off numerous enemies with guns and the protagonist has no back up, awfully tired, and nothing to fight off the gunman. The result can speak for itself. It's possible for other Major characters to die but that will depend on your choices. You should also pay heed to how much rest the protagonist is getting. For example, sending a sick protagonist to take down a gang doesn't sound like an ideal choice. It'll just make the fight much harder. Sending a Well Rested protagonist would yield a better outcome. You could do side activities to improve the protagonist skills. There’s the gym (athletics), library (intelligence), and the bar (charisma). But these skills also dictate what kind of abilities you’ll possess. Athletics (ability to use variety of weapons and fight more effectively, resist magic, etc.), Intelligence (ability to use magic and unlock spells, craft oddities, etc.), and Charisma (ability to persuade/deceive others, summon shadows, etc). You can even have combinations of Athletics/Intelligence, Charisma/Athletics, Intelligence/Charisma, and even all three. There are 5 ranks for each Protagonist Skill however you must go a significant amount of times before you can increase a rank. For example, if you head out to the Gym (Athletics) 5 times in the first week you'll be able to increase your rank. For the first week, you'll be dedicated to one skill. After the first week passes, you can choose how you raise the Protagonist's Skills. You might do some skill checks later in the story and the fatigue system will have a part in the skill checks. For example, an Intelligent protagonist is tasked to craft a artifact. If the protagonist is Well Rested then the artifact will be crafted faster. There is the alignment and the moral system. The alignments are lawful, neutral, and chaotic. The morals are good, neutral, and evil. The protagonist’s alignment always starts with “True Neutral” and his alignment can effect how the world interacts with him. For example, a chaotic good protagonist will be treated as a vigilante in Tatsumi Port Island. While he does good deeds, he doesn’t exactly trust the law to do anything right. Finally there's romance. The protagonist would be given a choice to whether they would enter a relationship or being platonic friends. For example, the protagonist had spent significant time with a NPC and they decided to go out to the park. It’s at this moment whether if you plan to advance your relationship or not. Rejection is possible depending on the protagonist’s actions and how you treated the potential partner. Now that I covered Reputation, Factions, Social Links, Exclusive Items/Abilities, Fatigue, Choices and Consequences, Alignments and Morals, Protagonist's Skills, and Romance you should be ready to go. If you have any more questions or suggestions, I will answer to the best I can. I welcome any criticism and I really am hoping to improve my writing for the future. The first day is supposed to introduce Aijin's daily mundane life. For now the reader has one choice but it has a different outcome. One last advice I would say to you reader. Most of us strive for an ideal outcome but you cannot save everyone. Thank you for reading this note.

* * *

???

A young man slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting on a chair. He was in a dm lit room where he could only see a golden chandelier above the table in front of him and an empty chair across the table. There was only a single candle that was lit on a golden chandelier but it was enough to see where the young man was at.

_What the... !? Something doesn’t feel right... Wait why am I able to have thoughts in a dream? Why am I able to feel? Where the hell am I? _

He was gathering his thoughts when a voice called out to him.

”I see you have awakened.”

The chandelier’s candles slowly lit up one by one until the entire room was bright. He observes the room closer until he noticed something unnerving. There was no ceiling or any walls, all there was a floating chandelier, the velvet blue floor beneath him, and a ghastly woman standing beside the young man which startled him.

_What the fuck!? Why is she standing there!?_

It was a woman wearing a dark blue tattered tuxedo with golden buttons that matched with her bow tie. Her hair was white and it was tied up into a messy ponytail. Her glowing eyes were yellow and she had pale skin.

_Who the hell is this lady? What’s with the tuxedo? Why are her eyes glowing?_

The young man tried to speak but the woman held up her hand, she stared at the young man for a moment and cleared her throat.

“Hello Aijin Shounin, my name is Agatha. You may not know me but I know of you.”

She continued to talk as she walked to the chair and took a seat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about lady, this has to be some kind of weird dream I’m having.”

Aijin tried to reason with himself. He doesn’t usually have bizarre dreams especially if they are this vivid and it was very unsettling. It just occurred to the young man that the room felt chilly and he began to shiver.

_Man, this room is really damn cold._

“This isn’t a dream Aijin. In fact this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. This... room is where guests who possess the wild card ability go to. I had a guest who had told me many things about you. It is disheartening to see you change from who you were before.” Agatha looked at Aijin with pity.

_What the hell does she mean by that? _Aijin wondered about Agatha’s strange response.

“My master and my guest have been gone for some time and it is very lonely here. It’s good to have company once again but you should not be here at all. Only guests are allowed in the velvet room and yet you are here for no reason. Unless you have…” Agatha’s focused her gaze on Aijin and closed her eyes. She touched the glass orb on the table which glowed to her touch and whispered an odd language unfamiliar to humans.

“Unless I have what...?” The young man was bewildered by Agatha’s strange behavior. For a few moments in unsettling silence Agatha finally opened her eyes and shook her head in disappointment.

“You do not possess the wild card ability. I am unsure of what your arcana is and it seems there is nothing unique about you.”

“Yeah, as if I needed you to tell me that. I’m just a regular nobody.”

“Hmm. A regular nobody you say... Never mind. It was nice to finally meet you Aijin however you must leave at once. Goodbye”

Agatha stood up and made a gesture with her hand. Aijin heard the floor beneath him slowly crumbled and his eyes widened in terror.

“Wait! What are you--!?”

He tried to move out of the way but it was no use, the floor gave away and Aijin fell into the cold dark void screaming. The light from the golden chandelier became more distant as Aijin fell until he could no longer see anything...

* * *

** _BEGINNING_ ** **_OF CHAPTER ONE_ **

** _Name: Aijin Shounin _ **

** _Alignment: Neutral _ **

** _Moral: Neutral _ **

** _Factions: None _ **

** _Reputation: None_ **

**_Condition: Normal_ **

** _Social Links: None_ **

** _Items: None_ **

* * *

May 15th, 2012

Tuesday, 5:37 A.M.

Apartment, Tatsumi Port Island

Aijin slowly regained consciousness by a loud ringtone he heard in his room. Aijin tried to get up but he felt as if there were needles poking at his legs causing him to stop moving.

_Man, what kind of dream did I have? It felt so real and eerie. Well, at least I’m back to reality. Yeah… back to sweet mundane reality._

Aijin sighed. There was a throbbing pain he felt in his head, his stomach was growling loudly, and his legs were asleep. The young man looked around his surroundings and groaned at the sight of his room. There were a few empty alcohol bottles near him, crinkled wrappers of junk food, dirty clothes scattered around the room, a knocked down plastic chair, and vomit on the floor near where Aijin was.

He pinched his nose to avoid smelling the foul odor in his room.

_Why is there disgusting shit all over the floor? How the hell did I- oh. Right. Last night I might have… a couple of drinks and after that, I ate a lot of junk food while sitting on that chair. Then, this... happened._

Somehow the ringtone sounded a lot louder which made Aijin grit his teeth in annoyance.

_Who the hell is calling me? There’s only a couple of people who would call me at this time and it’s definitely not to hang out. I might as well see who is calling me. Now where the hell did I leave my phone last time…?_

Aijin focused on where the loud ringtone was coming from and it took only a moment to realize where it was coming from.

_You gotta be fucking kidding me… it’s on top of my bed. Well, it’s not like it’s gonna sprout legs and walk over to me._

The young man struggles to crawl back to his worn-out mattress. He knocked a few bottles over as he dragged himself across the small room. As Aijin got to the side of his bed, he grabbed the edge of his bed and slowly heaved himself up. As he moved his legs carefully he finally laid in a comfortable position on his bed. He grabbed his phone that was near his pillow and saw the caller’s ID and it read-

_Hiriko. Fuck, it’s my boss calling. She knows my shift starts at 12 noon and it’s obvious she needs me to cover for someone early. Still, I can’t ignore this call._

Aijin flipped his phone open and answered the call.

“Hey Hiriko” his voice croaked.

“Aijin, I need you to come over here right now. Aiko hasn’t shown up for his shift this morning so I need you to cover his shift now.”

_Just as I thought, goddamn it Aiko. You couldn’t pick a time worse than this could you? Right now, I’m not in the best condition to work but I guess I could sober up and deal with it. Get my blood circulated in my legs, eat breakfast, take some pills for my headache, and I should be good to go. Although even if I did manage to get through this mess, I’m not sure if I would be at my best today. Some extra yen would be nice._

_Or…_

_Maybe if I… ah screw it I could just take the day off and have Hiriko fuck off. I can get some decent sleep, clean up the mess I made, and do whatever the hell I want. I’ll be able to enjoy my day off. At least if someone fucks up at work, I can’t be blamed for it._

“Well Aijin? Aren’t you coming in early?” Hiriko asked impatiently

Aijin was weighing his options at the moment, after thinking carefully about his choice he finally said…

**[AWE] **“Alright Hiriko, I’ll cover for Aiko early”

**[ASW] **“I’m sorry Hiriko, I don’t feel so well. I think I might be sick. [Keep scrolling down until you see **ASW**]

* * *

**[AWE] **

_**A**ijin **W**orks **E**arly_

“Alright Hiriko, I’ll cover for Aiko.” the young man sighed. 

“Good, get over here as soon as possible.” Hiriko hanged up

_ Great… instead of using the next few hours to recover from my shitty hangover I gotta head straight to work. Ah whatever, it’s not like I have anything better to do. Alright first things first, I need to wake my fucking legs up. Standing up would help I guess… _

Aijin took a deep breath and slowly stood up from his bed. He felt an uncomfortable feeling of pins and needles running through his legs. After a moment, the feeling went away and his legs felt normal once again. 

_ I hate when that happens, so much for the human body being perfect. Alright, now to take care of my hunger problem. _

He walked to the kitchen and looked around his mini-fridge. There was a plate of fish that has most likely been there for a few days. A greasy bag with a Wild Duck Burger logo on it. A nearly empty milk carton and a bowl of ramen noodles.

_ Oh shit, I’m not sure if all of this food is even good at this po- _

The young man’s stomach growled louder and he clutched his stomach due to the pain slightly growing.

_ Ah...fuck it, consequences are damned. I gotta eat somehow. _

He took everything out of the fridge and placed them onto the kitchen counter. He grabbed his small folding chair beside the fridge and propped it beside his knocked down chair. He propped the chair up in front of the table. Walking back to the kitchen, he took some utensils out of the drawer and his food from the kitchen counter. He dropped them all onto his table and finally sat on his chair. Before Aijin ate, he took out his flip phone to see what time it was. _ 5:46. _

_ Goddamn it, I have to hurry the hell up if I want to make it in time. _

Aijin quickly began eating his cold leftover food which he will regret later.

As he took his last bite, he put the dishes away in the sink. He folded his small table and placed it back where it was. He ran to the bathroom and switched the light on and saw himself in a bathroom mirror. 

_ You really look like a fucking mess. You goddamn freak. _

His appearance was… rather unpleasant. His face seemed almost ghastly due to the fact he had pale skin and red sunken eyes. His body had a skinny frame even if he ate an excessive amount of eating junk food and drinking alcohol. He wore a grease-stained Wild Duck Burger uniform from last night’s shift. Overall, he looks as if he were an undead minimum wage employee.

_ Even freaks like you gotta keep a clean hygiene if you want to keep a job. Better hurry up. _

He brushed his teeth, washed his face, changed into a cleaner uniform, and swallowed a few pills for his headache.

_ There. At least I look somewhat tolerable. Now where the hell did I put that apartment key? Oh…right. It’s in my cluttered closet. _

Aijin got out of the bathroom and walked to his closet. He slid the closet door opened and rummaged through the cluttered mess to look for his key. 

_ Shit shit shit why do I always forget to clean the mess in here!? Ah, it’s right here. Now to get my messenger bag from under my bed. _

He shook the key out of one of his shoes and grabbed it. He stuffed the key down his pocket and slipped into his shoes. He walked over to his bed and lifted it to grab his messenger bag. He dug inside the bag and took out the wallet. He counted the number of yen he had in his wallet. 

**Currency: 36,250 Yen**

Aijin grabbed his blue pill bottle beside his bed and popped one into his mouth. His head became a lot more clearer. He threw the pill bottle into his bag. With the headache slowly going away, he grabbed his messenger bag and headed out of the door. He locked it out in the dimly lit hall. The carpet of the walls was dark green and the walls were faint white. The walls were chipped and the dirty floor carpet did not make it any better. The old building decayed over time due to the owner not bothering to paying maintenance and when she is forced to pay for maintenance, she would cut corners. As Aijin was walking downstairs, he heard a couple argue near the entrance.

“...with you! Always bitching about everything I do.” the angry man yelled.

“What do you mean I bitch about everything!?” the confused woman yelled back.

“Why are you here this late at night? You should pay more attention to me Hideki. Stop hanging around your friends so much Hideki. I’m tired of-“

“Oh you’re tired of me!? You always have me doing the laundry when you don’t even bother to put your clothes away. I end up cleaning after your mess every time. I cook whenever you-“

“What, you want me to say it!? Fine! I hate your fucking cooking!”

“What!?”

“That’s right, you heard me. That’s why I go out every night to eat real food from real cooks. Oh and I love going out to Shirakawa Boulevard because the women there love to hear me talk."

“Oh they love to hear you talk? Well, you know who else like to hear me talk? Your cousin who I fucked last night! At least he gives enough of a shit about me."

“What!? My cousin? Out of everyone you could have cheated me with, it was my brainless stupid cousin? That’s it! I’m out of here and I hope I never get to see you again you stupid bitch!”

“And I’m glad I’ll never see your limp dick self ever again! You worthless pig!” the woman firmly shut the door in front of the man's face. The man scowled and walked away.

_Holy shit, those two have problems. Still, this is why I’ll never get into a relationship. Somehow I would be the one to fuck it up. _

As Aijin stepped outside of the apartment he saw the crowded city of Tatsumi Port Island. There were numerous people chattering, cars driving by and honking endlessly, loud vendors offering deals to anyone interested, there was light rain with gray cloudy skies, and he could hear the loud train coming to Iwatodai station. 

_ Ah, at least it's raining. Good thing I have my umbrella in my messenger bag. Still, another mundane day at Tatsumi Port Island. I wonder what could be different about today? Probably more headaches and if I get really lucky I could get a migraine. Heh, that sounds about right. I think I should start running now. _

Aijin began running to the Wild Duck Burger restaurant although he was easily fatigued and he had to catch his breath several times. As he kept running, he would bump into a few people by accident and they would yell at him. It took a while but Aijin had eventually reached his destination.

Aijin walked past the spiral staircase because Wild Duck Burger was right next to it. The entrance door was held open since there were only a few people outside waiting.

_ Ah hell, there’s already a line. Might as well get over it. This is my job after all. _

The customers took notice of a young man in the Wild Duck Burger uniform and glared at him. 

“What took you so long, young man? There’s a long line already because of your laziness” the elderly woman scolded at Aijin.

“That’s the problem with your generation, you’re all a bunch of ungrateful lazy brats. Why back in my day…” a middle-aged businessman rambled

_ Keep on rambling you old pricks. You won’t live long enough for me to piss on your graves._

Aijin remain silent despite their insightful comments and walked further inside the restaurant. The customers in the line turned to the sounds of squeaky footsteps coming from the pale man. 

When Aijin went behind the counter he saw his boss Hiriko talking to a customer. The manager appeared to be in her late 30s and her face really shows it. She was slightly overweight and wore heavy make-up as if that’ll help her appearance. She was a brunette who always had a smile and yet her green eyes tell a different story.

_ And there’s Hiriko with that shit-eating grin. I’ll never understand how people can kiss ass for so long. _

“...I could see in his eyes he was lying and- Aijin!” Hiriko pulled Aijin close to her and whispered to him.

“I need you to cover for me now so I can start with my paperwork in my office. These customers are about to explode any minute and I need you to deal with them. And remember Aijin, the customer is always right. You do whatever you can to satisfy the customer’s needs. Am I clear?” Aijin nodded to Hiriko.

_ Leaving me to deal with the aftermath, classic move Hiriko._

“Good, now get to it. Cho! I need you to deliver the orders now! The burgers better be ready Jirou! Move it people!” Hiriko retreated back to her office. 

Aijin placed his bag and umbrella under the counter. He cleared his throat and spoke to the upset customer in front of him. 

"Welcome to Wild Duck Burger, how may I take your order?" he spoke in a monotone voice. 

"Hmph, I expected better customer service from here. Especially since I waited for so long. I'll take a regular meal." the young woman grumbled.

"Ok, that'll be 3,000 Yen."

"What? Why is it so expensive? It used to be much cheaper."

"The company decided to raise the prices because they wanted to. I’m just the guy behind the cash register."

"Are you actually serious? Fine, here. After today I'll never come back to this overpriced shithole again." the woman threw the yen at Aijin and walked away to the lobby.

"Have a nice day." Aijin sighed as he picked the yen from the floor. Another person walked up to the cash register and stared at the menu display. 

"Uh... eh... I think I'll... no no no wait... I... hmm... maybe... Do you have anything other than duck burgers?"

"Well there is-" 

"Never mind I don't think I want anything." the indecisive man left.

_ After all that time waiting he just leaves? Oh well. _

A young woman carried a crying baby and brought two other bickering children with her.

"I want two duckling meals, one large duck burger meal with extra mayo, and a discount."

"Do you have a coupon ma'am?" Aijin asked.

"Excuse me? I'm a mother who is trying to feed my poor starving children and this terrible treatment to a valuable customer such as myself is unacceptable."

"I was just-"

"I know the manager very well and if you don't give me a discount then I'll send in a complaint to this store and make sure the manager hear about this."

"Ok, I'll give you your discount. That will be 4,250 yen." Aijin shook his head and placed the discount for the mother.

"Good. I'm still calling the manager about you being unreasonable." She left with her kids and the crying baby.

_ Unreasonable... what a fucking joke. _

A stern-looking man walked closer to the register and crossed his arms.

"Do you know how long I have waited for?" he asked.

"I dunno, how long?" Aijin shrugged carelessly

"For 13 minutes! I'm fucking hungry and I gotta get back to a construction site which is 11 minutes from here. I have an important job to finish and you people can’t even do your “job” right.” the construction worker's face got closer to Aijin but the young man didn't move. He stared back at the angry man.

"...And your order?" Aijin’s face remained bored.

"A deluxe meal. Extra crispy. And it better be grilled well by a competent employee here." the construction worker glared at him for a bit and then he walked away. Aijin continued to take orders from customers and the frustration from the customers slowly went away.

Cho looked to be in her mid-20s, had light black hair, and blue eyes. She was able to deliver food to the customers in time and usually with a smile. Jirou is a short man in his early 20s and he always looks as if he were up to something. He and the other cooks were doing fine at their pace. Hours passed by and the place was starting to slow down and there was barely anyone in the lobby. Aijin proceeded to clean up out in the lobby. Wiping tables, sweeping the floor, and eventually mop the floor. Only it would inevitably become dirty again. It was the store’s policy to clean the lobby every 8 hours. 

After cleaning the lobby, Aijin brought the mop and a bucket of dirty water to the backroom for the employees. The backroom led to a few other rooms. Hiriko’s office, the “break” room for the employees, the freezer where they keep all the food frozen, a room with boxes (which held boxes for a specific food, cup lids, cups, and straws), and a small room which was where the sink to wash anything greasy. There was another sink but it was smaller and it's for the mop bucket. He squeezed the mop until it was dry and dumped the dirty water into the small sink drain. 

_ Alright that’s taken care of. Now onto the garbage. _

He pulled the full garbage bag from the trash bin and tied it. He hefted the bag over his shoulder and began to carry it out. He noticed the garbage bag was slightly leaking. As he walked he noticed Cho and Jirou sitting in the break room using their smartphones.

"Aren’t you two supposed to be working?” Aijin asked his coworkers. 

“We decided to go on a break, Pale. Don't even bother us unless you have any other "secrets" to share with everyone here.” Cho retorted.

"For the hundredth time Cho, Aiko was the one to reveal your damn secrets. I was wondering where the salad bowls were when you just show up out of nowhere and yelled about me eavesdropping about your secret."

"Of course you would never admit what you have done. Aiko told me how much of a compulsive liar you are. Work is already hard enough to without us dealing with your nonsense." Cho frowned.

”Yeah, this job is already hard on us without you making it worse for everyone. What, are you gonna steal anything from us while we're on break?.” Jirou remarked. 

"It was Aiko who took your phone away. I saw him leaving the break room as I took my break in the room.”

”Yeah sure. I bet you sold the phone for some booze since you can barely afford anything.” Jirou and Cho laughed.

”Whatever.” Aijin walked away from his laughing coworkers and went outside of the restaurant. It was still raining and it looks like it would continue to be like that for the rest of the day. As he saw the dumpster across the restaurant he ran over there and threw the heavy garbage bag inside it. Unfortunately by the time he threw the garbage bag, it ripped apart and half the contents in the bag fell out. The leak soda got all over Aijin’s uniform. Frustrated, he growled in annoyance and kick the dumpster. Only to realize it led him to have an aching toe.

_ Ow ow ow, why did I think that was a good idea? _

After recovering from his idiotic kick, he picked up the remaining trash scattered around the dumpster and threw them into it. Finished with throwing the remaining wet trash away, he walked back inside the restaurant. He went inside the restroom to clean up after himself with paper towels. Aijin returned to the back room and noticed his coworkers are back at work. He then heard the office door open and Hiriko came out. 

"Aijin! Why are you just standing around? You should actually do something, it's your job. Everyone else is working hard and you're just standing there doing nothing!" Hiriko shook her head in disbelief and walked to the front.

_ Of course... I’m doing nothing... _

Aijin took out his flip phone and checked the time; _ 3:45 _. He started to work on the dishes with hot water and soap. It took nearly an hour but he was able to finish them all. He placed all the clean and dried dishes away when he heard shouting from the front. 

"Pale, I need you at the cash register now!" Aijin stopped what he was doing and went to the front. As soon Aijin took Cho’s place in the cash register, Cho took off to the bathroom. He was taking orders for a while when a couple of upset customers showed up to the front. 

_ Oh they don't look too happy. Shit I guess that's why Cho wanted me to deal with them. _

"What the hell is this?" an obese man with glasses revealed a burger with a bit of red meat. 

"An unfinished burger." Aijin replied 

"Yeah, an unfinished burger cooked by a bunch of lazy employees" the other man said

"You're gonna make this right by giving us fresh new ones. And grilled well." the obese man said.

"Yeah sure I'll-"

"Don't you just "yeah" me, I'm a customer and you are supposed to do whatever the customer needs. The customer is always right, boy."

"That's right you tell him" the other man agreed.

"...But I-"

"What's the problem here?" As if on cue Hiriko shows up out of nowhere.

"Are you the manager here? My burger has not been grilled well and this boy has been rude to me about my problem." the obese man pointed at Aijin.

"Yeah and all we wanted was to eat here. Not to be talked back by a rude employee."

_ Great, now they're playing the victim card because the big bad employee hurt their "feelings" _

"I'm terribly sorry about this. I'll make sure you two will have fresh duck burgers. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused by him." 

"See. That's how you should treat your customers. Not to belittle them but to serve them. We just might come back here again, thanks to your manager." The two men returned to where they sat.

"Honestly Aijin I don't even know why I bothered hiring you in the first place. Jesus." Hiriko sighed and returned to her office.

_It's always gotta be me huh? Customers can always treat me like shit and can get away with_ _it. And my coworkers are no different, hell they liked to make fun of me. I just wanna... No that wouldn't solve anything. Not now at least. __Fuck it, I'll go rent a rage room. _Aijin looked for Cho in the backroom and asked if he can go on break.

"My god you want to go on break? Now? Whatever, go now so the sooner you finish the sooner you get back to work" she went back to the cash register and Aijin took his messenger bag from under the counter. He asked a cook for a duck burger and the cook grunted in response. He waited only for a few minutes and was given a burger. He clocked out at 4:00 P.M. He took the wrapper off the burger to eat on the way and walked out of the restaurant and head to a small building 5 minutes away. After about a minute, Aijin took his last bite of the burger and threw the wrapper into a nearby trash can. Aijin went inside the small building which had a few rage rooms available and Aijin walked up to the receptionist in the lobby.

"What can I do for you today sir?" 

"I want to rent a rage room. The usual." He dug into his pocket for his wallet. He took out 10,000 yen.

[**You lost 10,000 Yen, you have 26,250 Yen left**].

"Of course, just wait for a few minutes for us to set up the room for you. Kenta, can you please set up the room for the Wild Duck Burger employee?" she talked through the intercom on her desk.

Aijin sat in the chair waiting for the door to open by the receptionist. A few minutes later, a burly man came out of the door and held the door for Aijin. He walked with Kenta through the hall until they reach the end. He took out a ring of keys from his pocket and unlock the door to the rage room. 

"Thanks Kenta. I really appreciate this." the burly man nodded and closed the door behind Aijin. Inside the room there was a TV, printer, and cans of paint on a metallic table. There was a pile of weapons laid out on the floor. There were a hammer, metallic baseball bat, axe and a sledgehammer. Next to the pile of weapons was a heavily padded suit and a helmet to prevent the wearer from being injured. At the corner of the ceiling he can see a security camera to make sure every client is both disarmed and calm. He took out his pair of headphones from the messenger bag and put them on. He took the cord of the headphones and plugged into his cassette tape player which had a "Down With The System" album tape. He played the tape and picked up the hammer from the floor. 

_ I only have 17 minutes to destroy everything on the table. If I’m even a minute late, I’ll never hear the end of it from Hiriko. _ _ I’m tired of everyone in this miserable life. My coworkers treat me like I’m a fucking joke, customers take out their anger on me, and there’s no one willing to be around me. Why the hell do I even exist? _

Aijin threw the hammer at the TV screen which led to a cracked screen with a hammer stuck inside it. He walked up to the table and shoved the TV off. He took the baseball bat and position it on the TV. He closed his eyes and faintly heard Hiriko’s voice in his head.

_** “Aijin, stop slacking off and get back to work”. “Aijin, remember the customer is always right”. “You’re useless, you know that?”. “Stop bothering your coworkers with your pathetic lies”. “Honestly Aijin I don't even know why I bothered hiring you in the first place.” ** You hired me because you wanted a lap dog to do your bidding. I’ll bash your face to a bloody pulp, you fucking bitch! _

He proceeded to swing at the TV wildly. Each hit sent pieces of the TV flying and it made Aijin have his anger slowly waning away. However it wasn't enough to cease his destructive behavior. After the TV is obliterated to a chunk of junk, Aijin threw the bat to the floor and started to move the paint cans to the floor. He picked up the axe and carefully positioned where the axe would hit the cans.

_ “Wow Pale, you’re a compulsive liar who doesn’t know when to stop”. “Pale, why don’t you clean up the mess in the men’s bathroom. I heard an old guy might have a really bad stomach ache”. “...Oh you want to talk about your feelings on how we treat you? Tough luck now why don¨ you be a good boy and .” _ _ You just love to talk, don’t you Jirou? You, Cho, and Aiko. I’m nothing to you three and you pretend as if we’re all laughing. Except I’m the one who is being laughed at. You fucking assholes! _

He proceeded to viciously swing the axe at the can of paint. Soon there was red paint flying everywhere. Once the red paint can stop leaking, Aijin tossed the axe to the floor and grabbed the sledgehammer. He slowly lifted the sledgehammer and smashed the paint can into a pancake. Aijin set the sledgehammer down and sat down on the floor, breathing heavily after destroying everything on the table. At last his anger was finally gone and all that's left is a wrecked room.

_ Now that I got it out of my system, I feel good now... I'm surprised people can make a business out of these rage rooms. I think it's best I get back to work right now. _

He placed his headphones and cassette tape into his messenger bag. He dropped the suit and the helmet onto the floor. He walked by the door and pressed a button on a wall to let Aijin out. It took only a moment before he heard the loud buzz and headed out of the rage room. Kenta was waiting outside by the door and escorted Aijin back to the lobby. He took out his flip phone and checked the time; 4:24 P.M.

_ Time to get the hell out of here. _

Aijin began running back to the restaurant as soon as possible. By the time he reached the entrance of the restaurant, he was already out of breath. He was met with a quiet lobby which had only a few customers eating in. He went to the back room only to see Cho and other coworkers gone. Jirou and the other co-workers were still here. Aijin clocked back in time at 4:30 P.M.

"Finally, Pale is back. Where the hell were you?" Jirou asked

"I went on a walk." Aijin answered 

"Must have been a hell of a walk then. Whatever, I gotta offer to make you Pale."

"What the hell do you want now?" 

"Calm down Pale, I just wanted to ask if you wanted me to cover for you from 8:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M."

"Ok and the catch?"

"You just have to pay me 2,600 Yen."

"Whatever, here take the money." Aijin gave Jirou the yen.

[**You lost 2,600 Yen, you have 23,650 Yen left**] 

"Great, now you have a couple more hours to sleep. How do you feel?"

"Nothing. I'm getting back to work." Aijin grabbed the mop bucket and started to clean the front lobby again. He threw the trash out, swept the floor, and mopped the floor. When he was finished cleaning the lobby, there was no customer in sight and it looked as if there weren't going to be any later tonight. He went to the back room and begin washing greasy dishes. After putting away the dried dishes, Aijin took out his flip phone and it read 7:57 P.M. 

_ Finally I'm gonna get the hell out of here and buy some booze. Go back home and maybe play some video games before I sleep. I gotta finish "Legacy of Assassins 3." A native american warrior fighting to protect his tribe from the Colonists and the British in the revolutionary war. He's also fighting some secret organization that wants to control the world. I wonder how it will end? _

The last few minutes seemed like an eternity to Aijin. He could feel the pulsing in his feet, his head felt a bit light-headed, and his stomach was growling again from starvation. Hiriko was checking inventory when he saw Aijin waiting by the time clock. 

"Leaving already Aijin? Aren't you supposed to work until 10 P.M. tonight?" she questioned Aijin.

"Well yeah but Jirou said he would cover for me if I paid him." he answered

"Really? Jirou! Come over here now!" she yelled. The young man came back from the lobby.

"What? What is it aunt?" Jirou asked.

"Did Aijin paid you to cover for him until 10 P.M.?"

"Nope, I don’t know what he’s talking about. He hasn’t paid me anything." Jirou shrugged.

“What the hell man!? I-“

”That’s enough out of you Aijin. When will you learn to stop lying to everyone? Just so you can get off early? Get back to work.” Hiriko shook her head in disbelief and walked away from the two. Jirou chuckled.

"Jeez Pale, you really shouldn’t slack-“

"Go fuck yourself, asshole." Aijin got back to work and continued his shift. By the time it was 10 P.M. everyone left except for Aijin. After doing everything he is supposed to do for closing, Aijin clocked out and took his messenger bag and umbrella from under the counter. He took out his blue pill bottle and pop one into his mouth. After putting the blue pill bottle back in the bag, he took out his umbrella and walked out of the restaurant.

_ I’m so fucking stupid... Why the hell did I even believe that shitstain? He’s just as bad as Aiko. Eh... whatever. What’s done is done. Maybe I should go to the liquor store... _

As Aijin kept walking, he found a liquor store that was opened. It was a bit run down but it didn't matter so long as the booze keeps coming to the store. He walked inside and went to grab a bottle of sweet red wine. It was just one of _those _ days. He handed the clerk 3,500 yen.

[**You lost 3,500 Yen, You have 20,050 Yen left**]

Aijin was staring at the bottle he had bought and longing for the sweet taste of wine.

_ Man, I shouldn't drink right now. It's usually better if I wait until I get home. I'm already light-headed and maybe I should get some ramen to eat before I drink... Ah fuck it I need this now. _

Aijin reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a corkscrew. He twisted the spiral metal rod into the cork and pulled the cork out. Aijin tossed the cork into the messenger bag to avoid littering. Without further delay, he took a swig of the wine bottle and he relished every second of it. He took the wine bottle out of his mouth and gasped for air. 

_ Holy shit, that was a lot. I probably should stop drinking now, I don't wanna finish it already. I mean it's halfway finished... Maybe just one more sip". _

Aijin took another "sip" of the wine and he could already feel the buzz settling in. He could no longer feel anything but the slight tingling sensations throughout his body. Nothing else mattered in the world to Aijin but the bottle in his hand. He saw some people carrying groceries back home, coming back from work, heading to work, and some teenagers hanging out at night. Hearing the teenagers laughing at each other's crude jokes, Aijin sighed as he was reminded of the pleasant memories of his friends.

_ I only had two friends a few years ago and yet they were enough for me. Heh, I remembered when we decided to go sing karaoke only to laugh at how fucking terrible we were. I remembered when we snuck into movie theaters watching R 18+ movies only to be thrown out later. I remembered when we would pull pranks on the older students in Gekkoukan High and getting caught later to get a beating. I remembered when the three of us would like to go on walks on nights just to talk about anything. They were simpler times and yet... they moved on without me. I just don't understand. Was I annoying to them? Did I always do something to irritate them? Was I burden to them at times? All I ever wanted was to hang out with them. They were all I had for the company and they understood me the most. I... _

Aijin could feel his teardrops roll down his face as he walked on. He sniffled and wiped his tears away. He took another swig of the wine, replacing his sorrow with bitter anger. 

_ ... It doesn't matter. I have to move on. All I have in this world is myself and no one else. It's nothing but a crapsack world filled with shitty people. Either people would want nothing to do with you or take advantage of you. I'm just another nobody who could die one day and no one would cry over me. I'm just another dirty corpse to clean up. I'm... nothing. _

Aijin was close to home and decided to take a shortcut into the alley. He closed his umbrella and shook the water off. He placed the umbrella into his bag since he was close to home. He tried to drink more wine but soon realized there was none left. He shook the bottle hoping for at least one drop of wine. There was nothing. Grumbling to himself, he continued on the alley. He was about halfway in the alley when he was approached by a few strangers wearing dark dark red leather clothing. He saw a small symbol of a flaming demon skull on each front of their jackets. Aijin stopped in his tracks and went back a couple of steps. He turned around only to find a couple of other people behind him as well. He was soon surrounded by a gang of thugs. One of them stepped closer to Aijin and it appeared to be the one leading the gang. He had a different appearance from the rest of the gang. He had studded bright red leather clothing and a belt with a golden demon skull buckle. Holding onto his belt, he laughed at the “fortunate” pale man who crossed his path.

"Look who showed up, friends. Some pale idiot wearing a shitty uniform. How stupid are you to think walking through the alleys at night was a good idea? The alleys belong to the Crimson Devils. We were wondering when someone was gonna show up." The leader glanced at what Aijin was holding in his hand. "Oh, you're one of those drunks. You know it's late to be drinking right?" the leader laughed at the drunk pale man.

"Wha... what do you want?" Aijin asked.

"I suppose you can hand over everything you have. I mean the economy can be troubling at times today." the leader rubbed his chin and acted as if he were thinking.

"And what if... I don't want to" Aijin frowned.

"Oh, then I guess we would have to beat the ever-living shit out of you. It's really your call. Either way you're giving us your stuff." the leader grinned.

_ It's not like the yen I had would have last long anyways... _

Aijin sighed in defeat. He reached into his messenger bag and took out his wallet. He gave all of his yen to the leader. The leader shoved the money into his jacket. 

[**You lost 20,050 Yen, You have no Yen left**]

"Thank you for your benevolent donation. Now give us your bag." 

"But I-"

"Now now, I did say to give us "everything" you have." he beckoned his hand for the bag. Aijin glared at the man and slowly handed the bag to him.

_ Shit. They... they can't have my bag. I don't even know how to fight... I'm so weak but... Maybe... maybe there is a way out. I'm not sure if it'll work but it's my only chance. _ Aijin lifted the bag up to the leader with one hand.

"There. Was that so ha-" he was interrupted by the swift blow of the bottle from Aijin's hand. The leader clutched his face in pain from the shattered bottle and was screaming on the ground. Aijin took this as a chance to escape from the gang and began running. One Crimson Devil attempted to tackle Aijin but he managed to sidestep and evade the tackler. He was nearly out of the alley but he felt a strong tug from the back collar of his shirt and soon found himself on the ground. They dragged the fleeting pale man near to the leader and threw him against the wall. Aijin clutched onto his messenger bag for dear life when the Crimson Devils were beginning to flail him with their punches and kicks. He could feel his entire body being battered and bruised as he was curled up into a ball. 

"Alright! That's enough!" the leader shouted once he recovered and stood up. The Crimson Devils stopped attacking Aijin and made way for the leader to walk towards Aijin. 

"You're really fucking pathetic you know that? Did you honestly expected to escape from us?" the leader shook his head at the pathetic sight of Aijin. The injured man coughed and looked up to the leader. The leader chuckled at the helpless bruised man and snatched the bag from him. He took out a switchblade and started to tear the bag apart dropping all of the contents inside it. A few corks, cassette tapes, cassette tape player, a pair of headphones, a couple of books, an umbrella, his wallet, and his blue pill bottle fell out out of the torn bag. 

"N-no... please st-stop... my medication..." Aijin lifted his hand pleading but it was no use. The leader ordered his men to take the contents that dropped out of the bag away. They took everything except his books and the pill bottle. Aijin tried to crawl towards his belongings but the leader stepped on Aijin’s hand. He could feel the leader's shoe crushing his hand.

"We could have avoided this whole ordeal if you simply gave me the fucking bag but no you just have to be stubborn" he glanced at the uniform Aijin wore. He looked at it closely and instantly recognized the Wild Duck Burger logo on Aijin's shirt. 

"I'll be damned, you work at that shithole? Well, now I know what to call you. "Ugly duckling" because you look like complete shit. Tell you what ugly duckling, I'm not too happy with what you did to me and I would have killed you by now. But I got an idea for you to make up for what you’ve done. I know by next Monday it's payday and for a small fee you can earn the forgiveness of the Crimson Devils. You just have to pay us 50,000 Yen. Oh and if you try to ask the police for help..." the leader slashed Aijin's left cheek causing him to wince and scream in agony.

"We'll come after you and teach you a lesson you'll never forget. Let's just say I know a couple of dirty pigs and I'll be the first to know if you report us to the police. We'll see you soon ugly duckling. The leader began to turn away but he stopped and turned back to Aijin. "Oh! And one last thing before I go." the leader proceeded to fiercely kick Aijin's head which caused him to slowly lose his consciousness. The last thing he saw was the Crimson Devils laughing and walking away from the alley as his vision fades into darkness... 

*** 

Aijin's eyelids slowly opened and his vision became a lot more clearer after a couple of minutes. He could feel the rain pouring onto his wet aching body. The stinging pain on his face felt terrible and his hand aching from the leader stepping on it. He saw his torn bag on the ground now rendered useless along with his drenched books. His blue pill bottle is nowhere to be seen and he became alarmed.

_ Oh shit! Where the hell is it!? It should be... there! _

Aijin spotted the blue pill bottle by a trash can. Relieved, he got onto his knees and crawled to the wall. He slowly stood up and leaned against the wall. He started to walk and used the wall for support. He could feel as if his legs could burst any second now but as he kept going on, it felt less painful. He picked the blue pill bottle from the ground and placed in his pocket. By the time he reached the end of the alleyway, he stopped using the wall for support and began walking normally. He went past by people and no one seemed to notice a drenched injured pale man was walking by. If they did, they tried to steer clear from him. After all, he could be a deranged individual that would lash out any second. Aijin began to shiver from the cold wind and rubbed his arms for warmth.

_Once again I started where I began. Wandering around the dark streets with nothing but my clothes. Goddamn it, you got mugged and now you owe an enormous debt to the stupid gang. You just had to drink the wine, didn't you? You useless drunk. You couldn't think straight since you have shit for brains and now you're broke. Sometimes I wonder why you haven't killed yourself by now-_

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice calling out to him.

"Are you alright sir? You shouldn't be walking out in the rain like this, you could get terribly sick." Aijin stopped and turned to see a concerned young woman staring at him. He couldn't see much of her since she was wearing a yellow hooded raincoat with black rubber boots but he could see she had dark brown eyes. She held a black umbrella and gasped as she saw the injuries inflicted upon the pale man. 

"Oh, you poor thing. What happened to you?" her eyes grew worried of the pale man. Aijin was caught off guard for a moment since he couldn't believe another human being actually cared enough about him. Or act sincere enough to care about him. 

_ She's... actually sincere. Well, shit I gotta answer quick. _

"I uh... fell down a long staircase. Y-Yeah and it was a long fall and I forgot to bring my umbrella because I left it at work." Aijin lied to her.

_That was a terrible lie. You useless piece of- _

"You fell downstairs and this is how you end up being injured? I... see. Haven't you plan on going to the hospital?" the concerned woman asked.

_ Oh. She believed that!? _

"No, it would be expensive to pay the medical bills. So I'm going to tough it out through tonight. It's only a scratch anyways."

_ There we go, now all you gotta do is head home and- _

"What about your friends or your family? Can't you call anyone to help you?"

_Ha, my friends or my family..._

"...No. I don't have either ma'am. I live alone and I'm doing perfectly fine."

"Oh..."

"Thanks for being concerned about me but I should be going now." Aijin began to walk away. As Aijin walked away, he can hear the footsteps following behind him.

"But, y-you're injured and drenched! Your condition could get worse if you don't get treatment!" she exclaimed.

_ ...Shit, she's following me. I need to start running. Just a couple of minutes longer and I'll be back home in no time. _

"I appreciate your concern but I really got to get home. I can't afford to go to the hospital. I'll be fine. You can be on your way home now." Aijin began running away from the woman however he was able to run for about 10 seconds and he was already felt out of breath. He stopped to breathe and was about to run again when he felt his arm being grabbed by the concerned woman. He stopped and let the woman catch her breath.

_ Great, you made a poor woman run after you in the rain. Aren't you just the pinnacle of humanity? _

"P-Please... let me help... you. If you're... not going to... the hospital. Then, come with me...

"But ma'am, I'm not sure how you can help me."

"I was taught first aid by a good friend in college and I'll patch you up the best I can. Please..." the woman begged the pale man. It’s obvious she’s not giving up on helping him and it’s not as if he could get better without help. The stinging on his face worsened and he could taste the iron from his blood.

"I... Alright, I'll... go with you." Aijin submitted in defeat and walked with the woman.

"Here, I don't want you to get any more wet than you already are." She kindly gave her an umbrella to Aijin.

"Wow, thanks uh... I don't know your name ma'am." Aijin nervously asked. 

"Oh! I'm sorry, my name is Fuuka Yamagishi and it's a pleasure to meet you." Fuuka smiled. 

"Uh... it's nice to meet you too Yamagishi-san. My name is uh... Aijin Shounin and I just finished my shift at Wild Duck Burger." Aijin awkwardly introduced himself

"Oh right, it's nearby Iwatodai station. I loved going there with my friends. Has much change here, Shounin-san?"

"Yeah, there's been a few changes here and there. Paulownia Mall had expanded a few stores, Port Island Station added an observatory, and a few stores expanded as well in Iwatodai station. But, overall it's been the same old Tatsumi Port Island I know." The two continued on their way until they arrived at the entrance of the apartment. Aijin dug into his pockets and was relieved to find his keys in his pocket. He took out his key for the entrance door and unlocked it for Fuuka. 

"You're staying here in this apartment, Yamagishi-san?" Aijin was surprised by the coincidence. 

"Yes, I recently moved back here so I could look... for a job around here. Um... I see that you live here as well.”

”Yeah, I lived here for awhile and this place is ok. As long if you’re careful around here.”

"I do have a roommate who goes with me in case we might find trouble. She’s not with me today because she’s... getting her bearings together. Anyways, I’m glad you don't have to walk out in the rain tonight, I can see you’re shivering. I hope you don’t get sick. I'll make sure to turn up the heat for you. My room is upstairs, follow me." Fuuka led Aijin upstairs and the two walked up to her apartment door. Fuuka knocked on the door precisely 7 times and Aijin could hear noises in the other room. He gave Fuuka a confused look. 

“My roommate is shy." Fuuka nervously answered. Aijin nodded at her odd answer. Once they heard a loud thud, Fuuka unlocked the door with her apartment key and opened the door. There were cardboard boxes stacked in piles throughout the room. It looks like they set up the TV, couch, fridge and a bed. Sitting on the couch was a woman watching TV. She had bright blue eyes and blonde hair. She wore a white silk dress, white gloves, and white long strapped boots. She turned her head and smiled at the two.

”Greetings Fuuka, it’s good to see you here. Who is this man you brought here?” she tilted her head. 

“Aigis, this is Aijin Shounin. I found him walking through the rain without an umbrella and he’s terribly injured. I couldn’t leave him like this so I’m going to aid him. Could you get an ice pack for him please Aigis?” Fuuka asked politely. Aigis got up from the couch and looked for an ice pack inside the fridge. She turns to Aijin. “Would you like something to eat Shounin-san while I get the first aid kit?” Fuuka took off her raincoat and placed it on a rack. Aijin placed Fuuka's umbrella inside an umbrella holder. Now Aijin could see she had teal hair with one braid to the front. She was wearing a light brown sweater and a pair of blue jeans. She took off her rubber boots and left them by the door. 

”I don’t think I’m-“ Aijin’s stomach growled loud enough for the two women to hear. His face turned into a shade of red and he looked at his feet.

”Actually that would be nice. Thank you Yamagishi-san.” She nodded and head to the bathroom to search for her first aid kit. Aijin placed Fuuka's umbrella inside an umbrella holder once he found it. Aigis walked over to Aijin and gave him an ice pack.

”Shounin-san, it seems you have suffered injuries outside. How did this come to pass?” she asked.

_ Oh shit she's asking me about my injuries! _

”I uh fell down the stairs.” Aijin placed the ice pack on his forehead.

“Your injuries were caused by falling down a flight of stairs? But you could not possibly have injuries from-“

“Oh hey! What are you watching at the moment!?” He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence." Aijin quickly sat on the couch and Aigis sat next to him. She was pondering about Aijin's odd interruption but she quickly dismissed it.

_ Once again, a close one. I just hope Aigis doesn't keep asking about my injuries._

“I am watching a TV show called _ Phoenix Featherman Rangers _.”

“Phoenix Featherman Rangers? I heard of them but I never watched it myself. Is it any good?¨

¨It's entertaining to me and Yukari-san is in it!” she exclaimed excitedly

”Is that a friend of yours? That's actually cool. Ok, so they're a bunch of people in tights fighting other people in rubber monster costumes.”

"You seemed to be a very observant person, Shounin-san. You have the eye of a hawk.

"...yeah I guess. I just realize this looks like a show a kid would enjoy more.”

”But I am enjoying this show as an adult.”

"Well there are exceptions... what’s your last name anyway?”

”It is Aigis.” she answered.

Alright,_ so she likes to be sarcastic. _

”...right. Where are you from Aigis-san?”

”I am from North America.“

”Oh you´re from America! If you don't mind answering, what's it like there?”

“I am watching a TV show called _ Phoenix Featherman Rangers _.”

“Phoenix Featherman Rangers? I heard of them but I never watched it myself. Is it any good?¨

¨It's entertaining to me and Yukari-san is in it!” she exclaimed excitedly

”Is that a friend of yours? That's actually cool. Ok, so they're a bunch of people in tights fighting other people in rubber monster costumes.”

"You seemed to be a very observant person, Shounin-san. You have the eye of a hawk.

"...yeah I guess. I just realize this looks like a show a kid would enjoy more.”

”But I am enjoying this show as an adult.”

"Well there are exceptions... what’s your last name anyways?”

”It is Aigis.” she answered.

_ Alright, so she likes to be sarcastic. _

”...right. Where are you from Aigis-san?”

”I am from North America.“

”Oh you´re from America! If you don't mind answering, what's it like there?”

“Aijin! I found the first aid kit! Can you please come to the bathroom?” Aijin stood up from the couch and walked to the bathroom. Fuuka brought the first aid kit out and a washcloth. She set the kit on the sink. Aijin stood beside her and set the ice pack on the sink.

“First I have to clean that wound you have there.” She turned the handle for the faucet to run water out. She took the washcloth and let the water run through it. She rubbed the washcloth around his wound and cleaned the dirt and blood off the wound. He could feel the searing pain but it was necessary. “Ok, now I’m going to apply vaseline on your wound.” Fuuka took a bit of a small bottle of vaseline out and rubbed it on his wound. He could feel the pain slowly fading away. 

“Alright, that should be about it. I noticed your hand is terribly bruised as well. Could you please give your hand?” Aijin held out his bruised hand. “Hold that there please.” She took out bandages from the kit and began to roll it around his hand. After finishing rolling up the bandages on his bruised hand, she placed everything back in the kit and closed it. The two left the bathroom and went back to the room where Aigis is watching TV. 

“I know I’m not a doctor but I did all I can for you Shounin-san.”

“That’s fine Yamagishi-san, you did a lot more than what people would have done. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. I’ll repay you somehow.” Aijin promised.

“Oh no that’s not necessary! I wanted to help you. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” 

“That’s a rare sentiment from anyone nowadays... anyways I really appreciate your help Yamagishi-san. And... you can just call me Aijin-san. You really don’t have to be that formal.”

”Well in that case, you don’t have to be formal either. Um, aren’t you going to eat anything Aijin-san?” she offered.

”Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks, Yamagishi-san. If you don’t mind, I’ll take a bowl of instant noodles if you have any.” 

”We should have one in the cabinet.” she walked into the kitchen and took the bowl of noodles from the cabinet. She poured water into the bowl in the sink and placed it in the microwave. She set it up for 3 minutes and waited. 

”So what’s with Aigis-san? Is she really from America?”

”Um... yes. She’s a foreign exchange student who came from... Minnesota.”

”Oh ok.” Aijin remained silent so he wouldn’t bother Fuuka anymore with unnecessary questions.

The two waited in silence and waited for the noodles to be done heating. Once the microwave started to ring loudly, Fuuka opened it and carefully grabbed the bowl of noodles and ripped a beef-flavored packet and pour it into the noodles. She properly stirred the noodles with the plastic fork that came with it. 

“Here you go. I hope it’s enough to fill up your stomach.” She handed the hot bowl of noodles to him.

“Thanks a lot. I’m really grateful for your help but I should be getting back to my place. I don’t want to intrude in your home any further and it’s getting late.” Aijin bowed to Fuuka in gratitude. Holding the bowl with his good hand, he walked to the door.

“I understand. Let me get the door for you.” Fuuka opened the door for Aijin and the man walked out into the hall. 

“I'm really sorry for making you run after me in the rain. I feel ashamed for refusing your help and I'm sorry."

”It's fine. Just please be careful next time when you... walk downstairs, alright?"

"I will. I... just have one more question for you. Don't take this the wrong way but why did you help me? For all you could have known, I might have been some insane mental patient who escaped from an asylum and I could have hurt you. I kept refusing your help too. Yet you still wanted to help me even if I were acting stubborn. I don't understand why you went out of your way to even bring me into your room and patch me up. You even offered food! I'm not used to this kindness from strangers unless they wanted something in return. Just... why?" Fuuka was silent for a moment pondering on Aijin's question and finally answered. 

"It's common for people to stand by when others are suffering and it's disheartening to see how terrible people are taking advantage of others when they desperately need help. I believe if I try to help others who are in need, it will inspire them to help others as well. I know I can't help everyone in this world but if I can try to help those around me then I can make a small difference. This small difference can maybe change humanity for the better someday. If that day never comes, then I can at least know I tried."

"I... I really don't know what to say to that. Everyone in this world is either cold, ruthless, cruel, manipulative, or apathetic. But then again I keep forgetting there are decent people like you trying to make things better for everyone. Well, thanks for everything Fuuka-san. I'll be heading to bed."

"I should get rest soon too. I need to get ready for a job interview tomorrow. Um... Aijin-san?"

"Yeah?"

"You said earlier you didn't have any friends, right? Well, I'm going with Aigis to see around Tastsumi Port Island later this week and I wondered if you wanted to come with us. Most of my friends are busy with their lives and I don't want to bother them. Especially if what they're doing is important. We could all hang out and get to know more about each other."

"...hang out? Y-Yeah, sure. What day are you guys going and what time?"

"Sunday, 12:00 P.M. We'll wait for you in the lobby. We really look forward to seeing you there. Good night, Aijin-san."

"Good night, Fuuka-san." Aijin waved goodbye to the friendly neighbor as she closed her door. Aijin began walking back to his apartment room in the dimly lit hall. As Aijin closed locked the apartment door behind him, Aijin placed the bowl of noodles on his bed. Aijin took off his shoes and grabbed the key from his pocket and placed it inside one of the shoes. Aijin took the dirty uniform off and threw the uniform onto the floor with the other dirty scattered clothes. He walked past the mess he made last night and sat on the worn-out mattress. He placed the bowl of noodles on his lap with his good hand and began eating the ramen noodles. Aijin tossed the empty bowl aside once he was done. He covered himself with his blanket and turned to his side.

_ After all that shit I went through today. From getting yelled at work, Jirou taking my money, getting robbed by assholes, and getting drenched in rain. A kind stranger helped me out. I can't believe there was someone decent in this crapsack of a world who actually gives a fuck about anyone. She even offered to hang out with me on Sunday with Aigis! She really believed by helping others, she could change the world. What an idealist. She can't change the world but then again who am I to say? I'm just another nobody who gives up on everything. Plenty of people in history had changed the world forever so maybe it is possible. I'm not sure what kind of person Aigis is. She was avoiding eye contact the entire time. I think she might have not liked me. Maybe if we all hang out on Sunday, she'll loosen up a bit and we could be friends. Yeah... friends... _

For the longest time, Aijin hasn't smiled for a while but this moment gave him a wonderful feeling. For once, something has gone right in his life. He curled up and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

** _***_ **

_ **ENDING OF CHAPTER ONE** _

** _Name: Aijin Shounin _ **

** _Alignment: Neutral _ **

** _Moral: Neutral _ **

** _Factions: None _ **

** _Reputation: None_ **

**_Condition: Normal, Injuries _ **

** _Social Links: None_ **

** _Items: None_ **

_ **Currency: 0 Yen** _

_ ******* _

* * *

**[ASW]**

_**A**ijin **S**kips** W**ork_

"I'm sorry Hiriko, I don't feel so well. I think I'm sick." Aijin followed it up with a heavy cough. 

"Are you serious? How did you even get sick in the first place?" Hiriko asked in disbelief. 

"I haven't got enough rest... and probably have food poisoning. I think I'm going to throw up” the young man gagged loudly to further prove his point. 

“Unbelievable, first Aiko now you? Next time call in sick a day before you do this shit again” she immediately hung up on her end.

_ ...I can’t believe she fell for that. I guess I can finally have some decent rest. _

The young man yawned and turned on his side to sleep.

**4 Hours Later...**

**You feel Well Rested!**

Aijin’s eyes opened and he slowly sat up from his worn-out mattress. He stood up and stretched his arms. His legs no longer had the “pins and needles” feeling and but his headache became more severe.

_ Ah shit, my head feels like it's gonna split open any moment. Where's my damn pills? _

He looked around until he saw the blue pill bottle beside his bed.

_ Oh there it is. I'll just take one. After taking the pill, I should check what time it is. _

He popped one into his mouth and his head felt clearer after a minute passed. Aijin reached into his pocket and took out his flip phone. The screen read _ 9:37 a.m. _

_ Well, I better eat something now. Can’t have an empty stomach during the morning. _

He walked to the kitchen and opened his mini-fridge. There was a plate of fish that has most likely been there for a few days. A greasy bag with a Wild Duck Burger logo on it. A nearly empty milk carton and a bowl of ramen noodles.

_ ...Maybe I should go out and eat. I should probably toss all of this food out. It could be spoiled. _

Aijin grabbed the remaining food inside the mini-fridge and tossed them into the garbage. 

_ Now where the hell did I put my damn wallet? It should be under my bed. Inside the messenger bag. I think. _

He walked over to his bed and lifted the mattress up. He saw his messenger bag inches away from his feet and took it. He dug into his bag and pulled out his wallet. He took the yen out and counted them.

_ Alright, let’s see... 36,250 yen. That should be enough. Ok now I just need to clean the mess here, take a shower, change into something discreet, and then we’ll be out of here. _

**Currency: 36,250 Yen**

He got to cleaning right away. Placing his dirty clothes into a basket, throwing away the garbage scattered everywhere, and cleaning up the vomit off the floor. After tidying up everything, he got into the bathroom and stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. 

_ Well, you look like shit. Sometimes I wonder why the hell you exist? To scare people away? Nah, that would mean I had a purpose in life... _

His appearance was… rather unpleasant. His face seemed almost ghastly due to the fact he had pale skin and red sunken eyes. His body had a skinny frame even if he ate an excessive amount of junk food and drank alcohol. He wore a grease-stained Wild Duck Burger uniform from last night’s shift. He looked as if he never smiled at all in his life. Overall, he looks as if he were an undead depressed minimum wage employee.

_ If I’m going to go out, I better go take a shower now. _

Aijin took his clothes off and took a shower for a while. After turning the shower knob off, he stepped out and grabbed his towel. He dried himself with the towel and dropped it once he was done with it. He walked to his closet and searched for a white t-shirt, gray hoodie, and a pair of dark blue jeans. After he wore his clothes, he took the pair of shoes from the closet and shut the closet door. He sat at his bed and shook one of the shoes until a key fell into his hand. He slipped into his shoes and slung the strap of the bag over his shoulder.

He headed out of the door and locked it outside of the hall. The carpet of the walls was dark green and the walls were faint white. The walls were chipped and the dirty floor carpet did not make it any better. The old building decayed over time due to the owner not bothering to paying maintenance and when she is forced to pay for maintenance, she would cut corners. Aijin was walking downstairs when he noticed a mumbling drunk sitting beside the entrance door. He was drinking himself to sleep, mumbling a bunch of nonsense. 

"They're still here... they crawl around the night... killing anyone in their path..." the mumbling drunk rested his head against the wall.

_ Crazy old man. I hope I never become like him as I get older. I'll rather kill myself than degrade to a lowly homeless drunk begging in the streets. _

As Aijin stepped outside of the apartment he saw the crowded city of Iwatodai. There were numerous people chattering, cars driving by and honking endlessly, loud vendors offering deals to anyone interested, the weather was lightly raining and he could hear the distant loud train coming to Iwatodai station. He could feel the occasional cool breeze passing by in the rain. Aijin flipped his hood over his head and started to walk towards the nearest bus stop. He sat down on the bench and waited for the bus to come by. 

_ Ah, it's days like this I really appreciate the wonderful weather. Especially days where I don't have to deal with the bullshit from my coworkers and annoying customers. Anything that goes wrong, everyone points their fingers at me. And Aiko... the goddamn asshole always likes to pick on me. Everyone else does but he’s the worst of them. Why-? No, I shouldn't be thinking about this. I get to enjoy today and why should I waste any more thoughts on anyone but myself? _

Aijin sat for nearly 10 minutes and finally saw the bus stopping by. He got up and went inside the bus. The bus driver looked at Aijin and beckoned his hand for a bus pass. Aijin reached into his messenger bag for his wallet. He took the bus pass out and gave it to the bus driver. The driver nodded and told Aijin to sit down. The people in the crowded bus stared at the young pale man who walked over to the back and sat close to someone. The bus began moving once the driver saw Aijin sat down.

An old man moved further from Aijin and stared at him. There were a couple of kids arguing loudly with their parents attempting to silence them, a man with a set of headphones playing music loud enough for everyone to hear, and chattering travelers from afar came to see the tourist sites in Tatsumi Port Island. 

Once the bus stopped by the Paulownia mall, Aijin got out of the bus and headed inside the mall. There were some things people usually go for in the mall. Such as Power Records (music store), Aiohige Pharmacy (a pharmacy), Shinshoudo Antiques (antique store), Mandagora (karaoke), NPA station (police station), Be Blue V (Jewelry store), Chagall Cafe (a cafe), Club Escapade (night club), and Game Panic (game arcade). The mall had a couple of changes over the past few years but overall it was still the same. The police station expanded into the NPA, Mandagora has merged into restaurant/karaoke bar, and Game Panic has merged into a video game store/arcade. There were numerous people in the mall either chattering or walking, eating, hanging out, or all the above.

Aijin went inside to Game Panic and walked past the many arcade games being played by others. He went to another room which led to the part of the game store where they sold copies of every game you can think of. Aijin saw the bored clerk waiting for any customer to buy any video games. Aijin searched on a shelf of role-playing games. 

_ Let's see, The Ancient Parchments V: Shimo... nah I already have that. A lot of bugs. The Reckoning Of The Fateless One... I heard that one was mediocre at best. There's a lot of side quests. True Goddess Metempsychosis: Akuma Survivor 2... I heard some good things about it but I don't have a handheld gaming device. _

"It's strange how so many people spend countless hours behind a screen without ever going out." Aijin turned around and saw a stranger behind him. He wore a dark blue clean-cut uniform with a cap, dark rim glasses and wore dark dress shoes. He carried a clipboard and a pen. He had light brown hair and brown eyes.

"Who are you?" Aijin gave a puzzled look to the odd stranger.

"Oh, I'm just another man who is collecting data for a company. I have been asking anyone who is potentially interested but it seems people don't really care about it. This survey is supposed to help us understand the citizens of Tatsumi Port Island. You don't mind if I ask you a few questions do you?" the man in the blue uniform pressed his glasses up to his face.

"To better understand citizens? Sure, whatever. Ask away." Aijin continued to skim through the titles of games.

"Alright, the first question. Why do people like to play video games?" the man in the blue uniform asked.

"That's a weird question for a survey. I dunno maybe people like doing stuff they couldn't do in real life. Whether it's being an assassin in a historical time, a vault dweller in a post apocalyptic world, summoning demons to fight other demons to change the fate of humanity, the possibilities are endless. You can do a lot more in video games than you can in real life."

"So, you feel powerless in this cruel reality and hope to escape it with video games and with other forms of entertainment?" the man in the uniform asked.

"...right. At least they make life slightly less boring." 

"You may have a boring unfulfilling life but aren't you safe? You're not in danger or constantly trying to survive."

"It doesn't make it any less miserable. Especially when you don't have anyone. Your next question?" 

"What are your views on your current job?"

"I don't know, do you wanna hear the part where you can only go for so long until you realize you're going nowhere in life or the part where if you're lucky enough, maybe you can be a manager screaming orders at other employees to grovel at your feet? I really hate my job. I didn't do so well in school so I ended up destroying my future. I only have myself to blame and now I'm suffering the consequences for it."

"So, you have a toxic work environment. Not much can be done there. Unless you quit but you would have no income to support yourself financially. As long as people wield power over others, anything goes. The next question. What is your view on life?”

“Life is a meaningless joke. That’s about it. We’re all gonna die and nothing we do matters.”

“A nihilist. You remind me of a few people who were similar. Most believe either into Shinto or Buddhism. Interesting.”

“Ok, are we getting close to the last question?”

“Actually there is one last question for the survey. Do you remember the last time you were ever happy?"

"...well there were these two friends I once had. I-“ Aijin paused and shook his head. “Look, today is my day off and I would like to spend every minute I have to enjoy it. Just put a big fat NO under the stupid question. Thanks for the stupid survey but I gotta go." Aijin picked up a copy of _ Draco Eon: Origins _and gave it to the clerk to scan. Aijin took the yen out and paid the clerk.

[**You lost 3,250 Yen, You have 30,000 Yen left**]

"Young man, I do have one more question for you sir. It has nothing to do with the survey and it'll take less than a minute." the man in the blue uniform followed the pale man out of the store. Aijin stopped and groaned loudly. 

"Goddamn it, fine go ahead and ask your question" Aijin rubbed his temple in annoyance.

"Thank you sir. What do you see in yourself as a person?”

“Nothing. That’s all I ever will be. A nobody.”

“A nobody… That's all I need to know. You have the potential to do great things and yet the only thing that’s stopping you is yourself. Ironic. In time, you’ll soon see what I mean. Enjoy your day off.” He tipped his cap towards Aijin and walked away.

_ The only thing that’s stopping me from doing anything great is myself… I guess that’s true but there are some things I can’t change. And what did he mean by “I’ll see what he means in time?” Eh, whatever. Let’s just go find an album. _

Aijin went inside to Power Records and searched for “The Universe Will Never Die, But You Will” album from the band “Evil Spirit”. The music store had been playing generic upbeat pop music from its speakers. 

_Ugh, I heard of this song multiple times. Do they have anything else other than pop music? But then again if people are enjoying it, I don’t see why I have to ruin their fun. _

Aijin asked the clerk where he could find a copy for the album. It didn’t take long for him to find it. The cover shows a grey cloudy night in the city. He gave the clerk 1,800 yen and left the store.

[**You lost 1,800 Yen, You have 28,200 Yen left**]

He walked in the crowded mall for a while and decided to go eat at Mandragora. He was waiting in a short line and he could hear other people singing at the karaoke side. “Welcome to Mandragora! Where our drinks and singing can lift your spirits up! Would you like a table sir?” a cheerful waitress asked Aijin.

“Yeah. But if it’s possible, could I just get a booth instead?” he asked. 

“Of course, follow me this way.” the waitress led Aijin to an empty booth. As Aijin sat in the booth, the waitress flipped her notepad opened and was ready for him to order. 

“I would like a bowl of beef Donburi, 4 sticks of Yakitori, and Tempura. I would also like a Cielo Mist.” 

“Alright, we’ll be back with your food in a bit.” the waitress walked away to help serve other customers. 

Aijin could smell the delicious scent of meat, ramen, various spices, and much more. 

_ Man, it smells really good in here. I haven't eaten anything from last night. As soon as I collapsed on my bed, I fell asleep. I should have food in my stomach but sleep is just as important as food. Sleep deprivation is no joke. I definitely need to be careful with drinking alcohol. The last thing I need is to be caught by Hiriko or any other coworker. Especially after what happened last time. _ Aijin cringed at the nostalgic yet embarrassing memory._ It's a good thing everyone forgot about that night. I hope._

Aijin looked around and noticed there weren't many people in Mandragora. It’s odd considering the restaurant side of Mandragora is usually busier than the bar side. Aijin glanced at the TV propped by the ceiling and decided to watch it. There was an urgent breaking news alert. 

**“...A Detective known as Kurosawa has gone missing for the past 16 hours and there has been no progress in the investigation. No one knew where he was yesterday until the police searched his home and found it ransacked. The last known location he was seen at was Port Island. If anyone has seen this man, contact the police immediately. Whether if he is found alive or dead. This is Sota, signing out.”**

_ A detective has gone missing? That’s really ironic but how the hell did that happened? They haven’t released much information. He’s probably dead by now but why would he be missing? Maybe he was involved with something shady? Or maybe- _ “Alright here’s your food sir!” the waitress interrupted Aijin’s thoughts and came back with a cart of his food. 

_ Oh nice, the food is here. Now this is a proper brunch. Aijin thanked the waitress and began eating his food. _ As Aijin chewed the fresh beef Donburi in his mouth, he savored the rich flavor of the soup. After finishing the beef bowl, he proceeded to eat the 4 hot steaming sticks of Yakitori. He blew on the Yakitori sticks to cool them down and he was finally able to eat them. He sank his teeth into the seasoned grilled chicken on a stick. _ How the hell do they make it so damn delicious? It’s so good. _ Aijin took a sip of wine after finishing the Yakitori. _ Ah man, I’m starting to feel full. I’m about to be done so it shouldn’t be too hard to eat the remaining food. _He devoured the fried shrimp and downed it with the rest of the Cielo Mist. 

_ Ok, now I’m definitely stuffed. This food was really worth the trip. Although, I don’t think this was cheap. I wonder how much yen I owe? Probably a lot. _“Would you like anything else for today?” the waitress asked Aijin. 

“I couldn’t eat another bite if I could. I would like the bill for the meal.” Aijin took out his wallet. “Ok, here you go!” she passed the bill to Aijin. He looked at the price. _10,100 yen. Well, it was good food and I was really not in the mood for ramen or junk food. _ “Here’s the yen and your 500 yen.” Aijin handed over 10,600 yen to the waitress. “Seriously? A 500 yen tip? Ugh, this will do.” the disgruntled waitress walked away from Aijin. _ Eh. At least I tipped more than most people. Oh well, now what else could I do today? Hmmm… oh! The movie theatre at Port Island is playing The Insane Night at Bangkok. The sequel to One Crazy Night At Las Vegas with a group of bachelors causing mayhem and stupidity. It’s raunchy and has low brow humor but it’s still entertaining nonetheless. _

**[You lost 10,600 Yen, You have 17,600 Yen left]**

Aijin took his headphones, cassette player, and umbrella out of the bag. He set up his cassette player and listened to _ Come on, You’ll Never Live Long _ album by the same band of _ Evil Spirit _ . It’s an odd name since _ Evil Spirit _is known for its calm rock music. Listening to the band on a rainy day pass by felt peaceful. In the corner of his eye he saw a bus slowly stopping for the bus stop.

Aijin walked inside of the bus and saw everyone had taken a seat except for a couple of empty seats in the middle of the bus. Aijin sat at one of the seats beside the window and the bus started to move. He rested his head against the window and the bus stopped by the Kirijo hospital. A few people entered the bus once several passengers left. Aijin noticed a woman took a seat beside him. The stranger wore a beige trench coat, slack pants, and dress shoes. She placed the umbrella on her lap. She had short black hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. Aijin averted his eyes back to the window and kept listening to music. After a short amount of time he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to the woman beside him and took his headphones off. 

“What? Do you want something from me?” Aijin asked her. The woman stared at Aijin and pulled out something from her trench coat. It was a badge that represented herself as a part of the national police agency. _ Oh shit. What the hell am I suspected for?_ “I need to search your bag that might be related to an ongoing investigation.” she informed Aijin. _ What investigation? How the hell is my bag involved with this sorta thing? Well, _ it’s _not like I had anything to hide. _“Ok, here you go.” 

Aijin handed the bag over to the undercover cop and she started to search for the contents inside the bag. She was quiet until she found the blue pill bottle. “Could you explain what this is?” she asked him. Aijin panicked for a few seconds but quickly regained his composure. 

“That’s for my medication. I keep having these shitty migraines and it helps me with it. I have some weird rare medical disorder. I forgot what it was called but you can call any doctor in the Kirijo hospital. I swear it’s not the kind of drugs you find in the streets. It even has the official seal from the Kirijo hospital.” he pointed where the official brand was at the top of the blue pill bottle. She continued to observe the bottle and gave a sigh.

“I’m sorry for my intrusion but I thought you looked familiar. Aijin Shounin, isn’t it?.” she gave back the pill bottle to Aijin. He gave a confused look. _ Why does a complete stranger know my name? _“We were learning forensics and you somehow were able to help me throughout the semester.”

“Now that you said that… Nah I can’t remember you. Sorry, ma’am.”

“It’s been two years ago since we graduated from Gekkoukan. We haven’t really known each other much before then. You looked very… different from the last time we met. Do you have a new haircut?”

“Uh… sure. Actually, now that I see your face now… You’re Manabu from forensics.”

“That’s right. You shared some of your notes for the forensics class. Which helped me a lot during the exams. I’m sorry, I never really thanked you.

“It’s fine, it was a long time anyways. So you’re part of the NPA huh?”

“Yes, it took a while but my persistence finally paid off. I took a couple of years in college to meet the requirements to become a police officer. I scored higher than others in exams and moderately passed my training sessions. It was all worth it in the end.”

“That’s good to hear Manabu. You’re doing pretty good for yourself.”

“Thank you Aijin. Where are you working now?”

“Where am I working now? I have been working at Wild Duck Burger for awhile. It sucks.”

“Oh. You have been working there since you graduated?” 

“Sorta. To make a long story short, I desperately needed money and I got the job. College is expensive. It’s not like I have a shit ton of money ready to pay for my expenses. Even if I did have the money, I’m not the smartest guy around. I mean I barely passed my exams. What kinda college would accept me with a low GPA?”. Aijin shook his head in shame.

“Is there a reason why you scored poorly?”

“At the time I really wasn’t concerned with my education. All I cared about was hanging out with Kosuke and Mizuki… Actually did you hear anything from them recently?”

“It’s been so long since we talked to each other. I haven’t heard from them. Speaking of the past, have you seen Rikuto?”

“Rikuto? I don’t know who he is. Sorry. Why are you asking me about Rikuto?”

“I think he’s involved with the Crimson Devils. Which I really hope is not the case.”

“Wait, the Crimson Devils? Who the hell are they?” he asked in confusion. 

“Have you not heard? The Crimson Devils are a gang that has been terrorizing the citizens of Port Island. They were a small-time gang some time ago but recently this week their crime rates had increased greatly. That is all I can tell you otherwise, it’s all classified information reserved for the NPA.” she explained.

“It’s not like I wanted to know more. The less I know, the better. So this guy… Rikuto. Do you know him?”

“Yes and no. If you remember back in Gekkoukan high, he was known as the “merchant” selling prohibited items to students.”

“Are you saying he sold drugs to minors?”

“No, he did nothing like that. He sold cheap items that are deemed inappropriate in a school setting. There is a reason why certain items are prohibited. The absolute chaos we had to deal with over the year. Graffiti in the bathrooms, an insect infestation, loose screws around the school, and the last prank to end them all was the firework incident.”

“I thought Gekkoukan’s student council would have been more vigilant from the other pranks but what the hell happened at the firework incident?”

“I honestly forgot why they haven’t taken any action after the first few pranks. Anyways, someone lit firecrackers inside another student’s locker. No one was harmed but the student council decided it was enough. They called in the NPA and searched around the school. It took them only a few hours to find the suspects. Once they were brought into questioning, they all shared a similar story. Someone bought firecrackers from the mysterious stranger and along other items related to the past pranks.”

“Oh right, it was Kosuke’s locker that blew up. Man he was pissed off that day. But how does it relate to Rikuto being the mysterious stranger?”

“That’s where I’m getting at. The investigators looked into his locker and home but they found nothing incriminating. At that point, the student council were satisfied enough catching the students responsible for the pranks. I was walking out of school one day and noticed Rikuto was outside doing something rather odd. He was carrying a stuffed duffel bag 

“That does sound shady. What did you do?”

“I got closer to where he was. I saw him throwing away a lot of things but the most damning of them all was the firecrackers. I witnessed him getting rid of evidence and I was ready to report him but by coincidence a dumpster truck was nearby. I wrote down the name of the dumpster truck and walked to the nearest police station. I told them about Rikuto being involved with the firecracker incident but the person in the front who told me, “Why don’t you go back home and be a good girl. If you work hard enough, maybe you could be a good housewife.” He laughed at me and waved me off. I should have realized I wouldn’t have been taken seriously because I was a mere child in their eyes.”

“Most adults are like that, sometimes with the sexist remark. So Rikuto was never caught?”

“No. He got away with it and it felt infuriating. There was no point in trying to go after Rikuto without anything to show for. That’s why I decided to pursue the career of being part of the NPA. I want to be taken seriously and not be treated as if I’m a child. It infuriates me to no end.” she said with the utmost conviction.

“Well, if you continue being vigilant as part of the NPA then I have no doubt in my mind you’ll do fine.”

“I’m not getting myself involved with anything. I’d rather keep my head down. You know, since I don’t want to die”

“That is all you need to do. There’s no need to risk your life out there. However, I do have one thing for you.” she reached into her trench coat again and gave something to Aijin. It was a small white card with a number. 

“If you know any vital information regarding either the Crimson Devils or the disappearance of Kurosawa, contact this number right away. I would personally reward you if you know anything.” she said.

The bus was slowing down to Iwatodai station. Aijin noticed this was his stop. _ Ok, now I gotta be really careful not to be spotted by my co-workers. If they’re out there. _“I’ll be getting off now. I’ll keep an eye on anything suspicious.” 

“It was nice seeing you again Aijin.”

Aijin walked out of the bus and headed for the train that would eventually take him to Port Island station. As Aijin paid for his train ticket **(100 yen lost)**, the wind strangely grew stronger and felt something light flew onto his face. He took the unknown object off from his face and was surprised to find a 10,000 yen bill! Somehow the slightly wet bill flew to his face. 

**[You gained 10,000 yen, you have 27,500 yen left]**

_ Holy shit! I didn’t know I could be this lucky today! _ Aijin chuckled and stuffed the bill in his pocket. He went inside the train and sat in the seat he was assigned to. He finally reached his destination in Port Island station and ran to the movie theater. Once he was close to the ticket booth, he checked the time on his phone and it read _ 3:25 p.m. _ He was relieved he made it in time before the movie was about to play.

“I would like one ticket for _ The Insane Night At Bangkok. _” Aijin asked the clerk in the booth.

“That’ll be 1,200 yen.” Aijin gave the money to the clerk and was given a ticket. Aijin went inside the movie theater.

**[You lost 1,200 yen, you have 26,300 yen left]**

He eventually found the room where they were playing _ The Insane Night At Bangkok._ To Aijin’s surprise there wasn’t anyone there. _ Huh. It’s a rainy day and most people would stay indoors. Then again, it’s really not a movie for kids. _ He took his seat in the very back of the room and waited for advertisements to end. He heard a door open nearby and saw another person showing up. The newcomer was a man who had shaggy black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black leather jacket, red shirt, black pants, and a pair if black boots. He looked around the room and spotted Aijin. He walked towards where Aijin was and sat next to him. _ Ah, just what I needed. Another stranger to sit next to me. I wonder if the guy w- _

“So, you haven’t seen this movie yet?” the young man asked. Aijin tried to focus on watching the movie rather than talk to him. However, the man grew persistent. “Ok I’ll cut right to the chase. You were talking to that lady earlier in the bus, weren't you?” the man finally asked his question. Frustrated with the stranger, he turned to face him.

“Look man, I’m just trying to watch a movie. Today, strangers have shown up out of nowhere and ask me vague questions for some weird reason. First, the guy at the mall gave me a survey to talk about life. Then Manabu on the bus asked me about some gang I don’t really care about. Now you’re asking me if I talked to that cop and all I said was trying to keep my head down. Can you just fuck off out of here?” Aijin glared at the other man.

“...uh sorry. I didn’t mean to piss you off Aijin but we met a few times. At Gekkoukan, remember? Huh. You look kinda different. Did you get a new haircut?”

“What are you even- oh. How did I not even recognize you? It sounds like you have been up to no good lately, Rikuto.”

“Oh come on, that’s the first thing you have to say? No “oh hey Rikuto, long time no see my good friend”. Ok, I don’t know what Manabu said but I swear I’m not the bad guy here.”

“How the hell did you even know we were on the bus? Were you stalking her?”

“N-No! It was purely by chance! I was lucky enough she didn’t look past my disguise. Seriously, I sat across from her and she didn’t even notice me.”

“Alright whatever. I’m not taking Manabu’s side if that’s what you’re worried about. I heard her side of the story but I haven’t heard yours.”

“Oh that’s a relief. I sorta knew you would be reasonable. Ok here’s what exactly went wrong. Yeah I sold junk that would have landed me in trouble and yeah I wasn’t exactly striking it rich but man it all adds up in the end. I had a strict policy with my customers and it’s to never reveal my identity. Otherwise I would stop selling merch.”

“Ok but that doesn’t explain the firework incident.”

“Yeah yeah I’m getting to that. 

“Eventually the cash I had was all gone by the time I graduated and I had to work at the cafe to make up for it. Actually, I worked with Mizuki a few times. Since I always see you with her and Kosuke.” he said.

“Oh really? Did she talk about Kosuke or me?”

“Uh, no she didn’t mention Kosuke or said anything about you. Sorry man.”

“Oh... right... What were you saying anyways, Rikuto?” Aijin glance back to the movie screen.

“It’s obvious you don’t care about the police or any gang. You know when to stay out of trouble and that's good. It's good enough for you to work with me. I... am working with the Crimson Devils.”

“Oh fucking hell, Rikuto-”

“Look just hear me out. They exchange cash for any information I got for them. It's really simple really. I walk around the city, talk to some people, eavesdrop on conversations, etc. The best part is the cops don't even suspect me at all. As far as they're concerned, I'm just a homeless guy in the streets. Anyways, I was thinking maybe you can help me out with some of the work I’m doing."

"And why the hell would I help you Rikuto? Last time I checked, being involved with gangs will either get you killed or get you into prison. Neither scenario is appealing.”

“Yeah yeah I hear you Aijin but if that were the case, why am I still here? I have been making more money out of this than my boring job at the cafe. Retail or restaurant jobs in general suck. Most of the time we work in a toxic environment and anyone can treat you like garbage whenever they want. Aren’t you tired of that?”

“Better to have a shitty life than being dead in the streets. And what would you even have me do?”

“I was kinda hoping you would become the muscle but I forgot you look malnourished and probably wouldn’t last long in a fight. No offense. But I guess you can deliver packages.”

“By packages, you mean drugs?”

“That’s the thing, they don’t really tell you anything. You’re told to go somewhere specific in the city. Wait for the “guy” to show up and deliver the package to the specific destination.”

“Why don’t you do it then?”

“It’s more of a risk than sneaking around for info. Let’s say I were to deliver a package one night and everything is going well. You go into the drop spot at the right time and right place, right? Well, something unexpected happens and everything goes to shit at the last minute. The first thing I would do is run. I would probably drop the package and will get reprimanded for failing in the delivery. It would be worse if I were to be caught, especially with the package. In either case, it will end badly for me.”

“Ok, but why are you telling me all this Rikuto? Isn’t this a secret you keep with the gang?” 

“You’re not the type of guy to rat out others. After all, you did buy my merch at times and kept my business a secret back at Gekkoukan. Besides, if you rat out on me then the Crimson Devils would catch wind of it. It’s… not gonna end well. You don’t have to decide now. I know, you could get in a lot of trouble for this. But at the very least think about it. If you don’t want to join the gang that’s fine. Just know I’ll vouch for you and get you set up for a sweet gig. Someday, maybe we could work together and profit from the rich bastards in this city. Sounds nice, huh?”

“You know what, fine whatever. I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I can ask for. And if you are interested...” Rikuto got up from his seat. “Just go to an alley and wait for one of them to show up. Make sure to wear something red. Anything really. And say “The merchant sent you”. I hope we see each other again Aijin.” Rikuto walked out of the movie theater. 

_ Seriously Rikuto, you’re gonna get yourself killed one of these days. Isn’t this just great? _

**Author's Note:**

> 9-12-19  
Thank you for reading this unfinished chapter. I’m currently trying to correct and edit the chapter but I will finish it as soon as I can. I would like to hear criticism and how I could improve my writing. Once again, I thank you reader for taking the time to read this. If I made any errors in this story, please let me know as soon as possible.
> 
> 1-03-20 Update  
It’s been awhile but I have been busy working overtime at my job. I should be getting back to writing the fanfic and I might finish this chapter in a week or two weeks. I apologize for not updating for awhile but I’m back. Thank you for being patient with me. I’m making changes to some details but nothing that’ll change what you read. At least for now.
> 
> 1-28-20 Update  
I was working on making a few new characters that would play a role in the plot. Particularly the undercover cop is given more character and her name is Manabu. I just need to make a few more changes to the AWE route, add more detail to Rikuto and finish up the 2nd route. Thanks for being patient with me so far. Or whoever is left reading.
> 
> 5-21-20 Update  
Once again I have stalled my fanfic (and actually forgot about it) but now I should be getting back to writing. I have been helping out my family due to COVID-19. However, even without the virus I still would have been stalling time. So this time I should be able to make progress with the chapter. I know this time I DEFINITELY will finish this chapter. Thank you for being patient.


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